Pandanus - Pandanus

This plant is tree-like and belongs to the Pandanov family. The second name of the plant is pandanus. The genus Pandanus contains several hundred species. Most often, the plant is found in the wild in areas that are characterized by a tropical climate. More specifically, the pandanus loves to grow in Hawaii, India, Vietnam, and others in areas and territories. There are also numerous species on the island of Madagascar.

Plant characteristic

Pandanus differs in that it can easily adapt to a wide variety of conditions. Thus, pandanus grows easily and freely in highlands and at the bottom of the sea, as well as in swampy areas. It grows even on the banks of the river and on the nearest slopes of the volcano.

Pandanus is grown for decorative purposes, as the plant has beautiful leaves.

In spring and summer, the plant should be protected from direct sunlight, and in autumn and winter, on the contrary, it requires bright light, but it is better if it is diffused. The best place for growing a plant will be the western or eastern window of the apartment. The optimum temperature for growing this plant is 20-25 degrees. But the main thing is that it should not be lower than 12 degrees.

Water the plant very abundantly and regularly, especially in summer. In the spring, it is important to rely on soil conditions and water the pandanus after the topsoil is completely dry. In autumn and winter, this plant is watered much less often. For growing a plant, the humidity that is typical for residential premises is suitable. In this case, it is extremely undesirable to spray the leaves of the plant from a spray bottle. If the humidity level is too low, expanded clay can be added to the pallet.

Pandanus needs to be fed regularly. The manipulation is carried out 2 times a week during the entire spring-summer period. The optimal composition for fertilization will be ready-made mineral complexes, which are specially designed for feeding ornamental plants. In autumn and winter, the plant is not fertilized.

While the pandanus is actively growing and developing, it must be replanted once a year, starting from the moment when the pandanus turns about 3 years old. The root system of the plant is too large and if it is cramped in the previous container, the bush is transplanted into a container of a larger volume, using the transshipment method. The plant is propagated both by the seed method and by the vegetative method, namely by dividing the bush and grafting.

From insect pests, scabies, mealybugs and spider mites are isolated. If you do not follow the rules of care, the plant can be affected by root rot.

Peculiarities

This plant belongs to the evergreen tree-like, therefore, in the wild, this culture can grow up to 15 meters, and sometimes reaches all 25 meters in height. Outwardly, the culture is very similar to a tropical plant: a palm tree or a liana. Aerial roots can form on it. After a while, they usually begin to sprout into the soil.

After a while, the pandan's tissues die and die at the bottom of the trunk, but it is still vertical, since the aerial roots, which have already grown into the ground, begin to gradually lignify and form a kind of support for the tree.

The leaves are like a sword: narrow, linear. They can be more than 10 cm wide, and their length reaches 4 m. The leaves grow in the form of a spiral in two rows on the tree. Another name for this culture is the spiral palm.After some time, as the tree grows, the leaves that are below gradually age and fall off, leaving scars at the points of attachment to the trunk.

Pandanus blooms, forming inflorescences in the form of a panicle. The flowers are usually small and yellow in color. Indoor pandanus rarely blooms.

The plant is considered unpretentious and does not require special attention to itself, therefore it is very often grown in greenhouses and conservatories. Pandanus is tolerant to moisture deficiency, as well as to dark growing areas. Only a young plant is recommended to grow at home, since adult overgrown crops require an appropriate room size.

Care rules

Lighting

If we are talking about the autumn and winter months of the year, then here the pandanus needs a lot of sunlight, while in the spring and summer, the lighting can be less bright. A good landing site is the west and east sides of the apartment. With a lack of sunlight, pandanus leaves will no longer look so impressive and will lose their shape and color. With poor lighting, the leaves can also become not variegated, but inconspicuous.

Therefore, if you do not have enough lighting in your room, then it is best to build artificial lighting at a short distance from the bush using special phytolamps, which should be turned on for about eight hours a day. Also, the pandanus pot needs to be turned from time to time so that the leaves grow evenly on all sides.

Temperature and humidity

In the autumn-winter season, you need to regularly ventilate the room where the plant grows, however, move it away from the direct effect of a draft. The optimum temperature for the room where this flower grows should be in the range from 20 to 25 degrees. And in winter, this mark should not be reduced. It is also impossible to allow the room to fall below 12 degrees. Because of this, the flower will die.

The humidity here is normal, room, since the pandanus does not require a certain level of humidity. If radiators work in the room and the air is too dry, then you can add wet expanded clay or wet pebbles to the plant pan, on which a flower pot is then placed. It is also unacceptable to wash, wipe the leaf plates with a wet cloth and spray the plant from a spray bottle, as there is a risk of rot. To wipe dirt and dust off the sheet, you can use a dry sponge or damp cloth, wiping the sheets from bottom to top.

The plant has a large number of thorns, so all work must be carried out with gloves.

Since the plant is characterized by the presence of aerial roots, growing in indoor conditions, this culture rarely forms them. However, if such a phenomenon occurs, then you do not need to cut them off, on the contrary, they should be overlaid with moist moss on top, in order to constantly moisten them, and then moss the moss should be regularly moistened. This should be done especially carefully in the summer, when it is hot outside. If your plant has not formed aerial roots, then you need to be prepared for the fact that the plant will be unstable with age.

Watering

Pandanus should be watered regularly using plenty of water, especially during the warmer months. Pay attention to the topsoil and wait a few more days before watering after it dries out. At the same time, you cannot bring the plant to complete drying of all the soil in the pot. The optimum water temperature for irrigation is over 30 degrees. It must also be pre-settled. After watering, if there is water in the glass pan, it must be drained. In winter and autumn, the irrigation regime is changed downward.

Feeding

Pandanus also needs to be fed twice a month during the entire spring and summer period.The optimal fertilizer here will be ready-made mineral complexes, developed specifically for ornamental deciduous plants. In the rest of the months, feeding is not necessary.

Transfer

Pandanus is rarely transplanted, only if necessary. When the root system has already become powerful enough, and it will not have enough space. It is permissible to transplant plants at a young age no more than once a year. Mature plants are transplanted much less frequently. The transplant must be done very carefully so as not to damage the fragile root system of the pandanus. During transplantation, the transshipment method should be used, in which the earthen lump is preserved as much as possible. In a new container for planting, it is necessary to lay out a thick drainage layer, which will occupy almost half of the capacity, and also select the optimal soil mixture, which will consist of sand, turf, leafy earth and humus, taken in equal parts. Before transplanting the pandanus, it is necessary to lift the leaves and tie them into a bunch, and then very carefully transfer the plant from the old pot to a new container, and cover it with the remaining soil on top. It should be left at the same level during planting as the plant was in the old pot.

Reproduction

When growing pandanus at home, it is necessary to propagate it in different ways: seed and vegetative, by dividing roots and cuttings.

Seed reproduction. For sowing, it is necessary to collect freshly ripe seeds. Seeds should be sown in a low container or box that is filled with a potting mix of leafy soil and sand. You can use peat instead of leafy soil. After sowing, the box is closed with foil or glass and transferred to a warm room, where the air temperature will not be lower than 25 degrees. From time to time, the shelter must be removed to ventilate the seedlings, as well as moisten them with a spray bottle. If you did everything correctly, then in a week or a month you can see the first seeds. It is possible to organize greenhouse conditions by installing bottom heating. Then the seedlings can be seen earlier. After several true leaves grow on the seedlings, they are planted in different separate pots filled with the same soil, which includes turf, sand, and deciduous soil.

Cutting method of reproduction. For propagation by cuttings, it is necessary to use lateral stems, which reach a length of more than 20 cm. If the cuttings are smaller, they will root very poorly. The places where you cut the cuttings must be treated with charcoal powder or dried. Ready cuttings for rooting are placed in the ground, which will consist of sand and peat in equal proportions. On top, you need to organize some kind of plastic cap or you can use a bag or glass jar.

The temperature in the room where the cuttings will be located should be warm, more than 25 degrees, and the cap should be removed from time to time and the cuttings should be watered with a spray bottle. After one and a half to two months, the rooting of the cuttings will occur. You can use various growth stimulants to speed up the process or organize a mini greenhouse.

Division of the bush. In order to divide the bush, it is necessary to take an adult plant, which already has a large number of daughter rosettes in the leaf axils. It is also important that their length is at least 20 cm, so that the cuttings take root better. Thus, they are separated from the adult bush and placed in moist sphagnum, which is constantly irrigated with water. Delenka will grow roots. And after that, the section of the bush is separated and dried within 24 hours. The separated plant should be placed in a separate pot, which will also be filled with suitable soil, consisting of turf, as well as a large drainage layer should not be forgotten.

It is necessary to pour washed sand on top of the soil, then the new plant is planted in the sand and everything is tamped down properly. The new plant must be sprayed and also covered with a glass jar or bag. The temperature in the room where the new pandanus will grow should be more than 20 degrees so that the roots can grow faster and adapt faster. Also, the use of special phytohormones will help speed up this process. The final formation of the roots will end in a month or a month and a half.

After two months, the rooted plant, which has adapted sufficiently, must be transferred by transfer to a new larger container, already filled with grain soil, leafy soil and sand.

Insect pests and diseases

It is believed that the pandanus has a high immunity to various pests, but if not properly cared for, it can be attacked by various insects. Popular ones are scale insects, scale insects or spider mites. Signs of the appearance of a scale insect will be formed scales of a dark color, and the leaves will become sticky.

To rid the pandanus of these pests, it is necessary to treat it with actellik or krbofos. If a mealybug is affected, pandanus should be treated with a special anti-acaricidal agent. Diclox or Tolcox will work well. With a lack of air humidity, this plant can be infected by spider mites. Signs of their appearance are small dots on the leaf, which eventually merge into a large spot. If these signs are found, acaricidal agents should be used. Actellik or Aktara have proven themselves well.

After that, it is necessary to increase the humidity in the room. You can use a humidifier or add moistened pebbles or expanded clay to the pan.

Of the diseases common for pandanus, only a change in the color of the leaves can be distinguished: they turn yellow if you water the plant with hard water, and this can also happen with a lack of light or with an excess of calcium in the soil.

If plant is in a dark room, then the leaves can become small and change their color. In addition, if the air is excessively dry, they will turn brown and the tips of the leaves will dry out.

All these problems are eliminated by increasing the humidity of the air using humidifiers or placing the pot in a pallet with expanded clay.

Plant species

Pandanus Veicha (Vicha). This tree-shaped plant belongs to evergreens and grows wild in the countries of Southeast Asia. The plant has a low trunk, as well as a large number of aerial roots, which eventually grow into the ground. The leaves are also arranged in the form of a spiral, their length can reach 1 m, and the width is no more than 8 cm. This species is characterized by a white border along the entire leaf plate, as well as a large number of thorns at the tips. This plant is often grown at home. With proper care, it can reach one and a half meters in 10 years. The flowering period does not occur under indoor conditions.

Pandanus is useful. The plant is large and can grow up to 20 m wild. If the plant is grown at home, then the stem does not grow more than 2-3 m. The flowering period is also absent here in indoor conditions, so this culture does not branch. The leaves are arranged in a spiral shape. They have a dark green color and a dense, rigid structure. The length of one leaf plate can reach one and a half meters, and the width does not exceed 10 cm. The thorns surround the leaf plates, having a pink tint at the edges.

Pandanus Sandera. This plant can be seen in the forests of the Malay archipelago. The plant is characterized by a low trunk and leaves, expressed in a bright dark green color. The leaves reach a length of about 80 cm, while their width is no more than 5 cm. The presence of thorns is also characteristic of the species.

Pandanus hiding behind. This plant belongs to the branched evergreen shrubs. In the wild, the stem of this plant grows up to 4 m. The leaves become very narrow at the tips, and have white thorns. While in the wild, the pandanus produces large red fruits that have a very sweet taste. However, cultivating the plant in indoor conditions, the fruits are not formed in it, just as the flowering period does not come. This species has several more varieties that do not have thorns, and the flowers can reach 10 cm in diameter, while having a beautiful, delicate, pink hue.

There are some legends and signs around the pandanus, because of which not all growers grow this plant at home, despite its exotic appearance. It is believed that the pandanus can absorb all the positive emotional background of people and release negative energy into the room, which negatively affects people with an unstable psyche. In view of this, they can become angry and aggressive.

Therefore, there is an opinion that it is not necessary to grow this plant for especially impressionable people who have a hard time going through various negative moments of life, since pandanus can aggravate the already unpleasant feelings of a person.

Conclusion

It is best to grow pandanas for calm, balanced people, as well as for those flower growers who have just begun to engage in this interesting activity. The plant does not require a special approach to itself, it is considered unpretentious, it grows very quickly, therefore it is also suitable for growing those flower growers who are often absent at home.